Hope & Gloria - Sewing Inspiration for Children

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

I am without a doubt a huge fan of Mother Nature in all of her amazing glory, especially when it comes to flowers.

A week or so ago I met a friend at RHS Wisley. I am lucky enough to go there a few times a year. It is half way between our home and two of my very best friends', so it's the ideal place to meet for a wander and a coffee. Our kids also seem to enjoy it particularly watching the Koi Carp in the pond.

The displays in the flower borders this year were breath-taking - full of vibrant colour and beauty. These are just a few examples:

Who wouldn't be inspired by these fabulous blooms? I had been thinking of an idea for fabric wall art for a while and these lovely flowers were the final push I needed to get sewing.

My idea was to showcase a range of bright and bold felt and fabric flower techniques in the shape of a heart. In order to fit in a range of flowers I decided to go big - the canvas size is 50x50 which gave plenty of room to include lots of fun flowers in various colours shapes and sizes.

It was finished just in time for the Egham Royal Show which ran during the bank holiday weekend and I was over the moon to win first prize in the category that I entered. It is now hanging in pride of place in my work room at Hope & Gloria HQ. The weather is a bit dreary here today, so it's lovely to have my burst of summer colour on the wall to remind me of a sunny day at RHS Wisley.

Next week I shall be adding a fabric flower tutorial post to the blog - come back and take a look!

Hope & Gloria Childrens' Sewing

About Me

Hello my name is Keeley. I am the Founder and Director of Hope & Gloria Ltd and I am very lucky that my favourite pastime and passion is also my career. I started Hope & Gloria Ltd four years ago with a sewing club at my childrens' school. Today at Hope & Gloria my team and I teach 550, 7 to 11 year olds how to sew each week. Our clubs run in schools across the East Berkshire and North Surrey area. We also run hugely popular holiday workshops. It is quite simply incredibly rewarding. I love everything about my job from designing the projects we make in our clubs through to seeing them completed by the children who come to our clubs. Children adore making cool and funky accessories which they are proud to take home.
Sewing has always been a passion of mine. I was lucky enough to be taught to sew, embroider and knit by my truly wonderful Grandmother and Aunt from the age of five. This led to a lifelong passion and these days I remain addicted to beautiful fabric.
My other full time job is being a Mum to my three amazing boys aged 13, 12 and 10 - my most rewarding challenge.
I live in Berkshire with my fab husband Giles, our boys, our dog Elsie and cat Bear.